Anuradhapura was the greatest monastic
city of the ancient world. At its height it was home to
thousands of monks at dozens of monasteries, served by a
large lay population. It was the royal capital of a succession
of 113 kings who oversaw a flowering of the arts that produced
magnificent palaces intricate and exquisite sculptures,
ornate pleasure gardens and of course the huge dagobas,
the domed buildings that protected the most sacred relics
of Buddhism. The gentle sway of the Buddhist faith inspired
the kings of Ancient Lanka to allow freedom of workship
and to build the world's first hospitals. There were even
animal hospitals provided for their non-human subjects.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement was in irrigation,
with reservoirs constructed to preserve the monsoon rains,
and a system of sluices put in place to keep the rice paddies
productive.
The fame of the city spread; the Greek ambassador to India,
Megasthenes admired the limousines of the ancient royalty,
the state elephants, which were an important export, along
with gems and spices. The mass of Roman coins which have
been found show that Lanka was not short of trade and possibly
even enjoyed some early tourism. In the early 5th century,
the chinese Buddhist pilgrim Fa hien came in search of the
Buddhist texts in Anuradhapura as Buddhism was then already
waning in India.
Originally founded by a minister called Anuradhapura the
city developed around 500 BC under King Pandukabhaya. In
161 BC king Dutugemunu united the island with Anuradhapura
as the Capital. It was fought over and finally abandoned
in 1073 when the capital was transferred to Polonnaruwa.
By that time the city had served as the capital for about1,400
years. From then on the jungle enveloped the Palaces and
temples, which slowely began to crumble. The British explorers
who first surveyed the ruins in the 19th century justifiably
felt they were rediscovering a 'lost' city. Subsequent archaeologists
of Anuradhapura have had an invaluable aid in the form of
the mahavamsa, the great chronicle which records the founding
of the city's monuments in pali verse. Restoration continues,
somtimes amounting to rebuilding, since this is not a dead
city but a living plgrimage site. Tourists, pilgrims and
even monkeys flock here for their own reasons.
The most crowed part is around the sacred
Bo
Tree ( Sri Maha Bodhi), especially on the full moon,
poson in June, when the area is packed with worshippers.
People come because this is a sapling of the original tree
under which the Buddha attained enlight enment in Bodhi
Gaya in India.
It is the oldest known tree in the world and has been tended
devotedly for 23 centuries, even when the city was conquered
by Tamils. Seedlings from it have stocked temples throughout
the island and around the globe. Today it is propped up
on a frame of iron crutches and protected by a golden railing,
swathed in colourful prayer flags offered by the pilgrims.
The tree retains its beauty, turning a soft pink when it
sprouts, preferring to keep a dignified distance from the
crowds.
Near the sacred Bo Tree is the
Brazen
Palace (Loha Pasada) a grand name for what is now
an unimpressive forest of short stone pillars, most of them
rough-hewn, and all tilting at varying angles. These paltry
remains convey nothing of the splendours described in the
Mahavamsa. These chronicles tell of a palace nine storeys
high, each floor with 100 rooms, and a throne of ivory with
a seat of mountain crystal.
Although called a Palace, it was not a royal residence but
the quarters of the monks (the name brazen refers not to
the inhabitanta, but to the copper roof). Otherwise this
magnificent palace was originally made entirely of wood,
which unfortunately meant that it burned down more than
once. The 1,600 oillars you see today are all that remains
of the work completed by king Parakrambahu in the 12th century.
